Generating oil-gas for explosive-engines.



F. H. BATES. GENERATING OIL GAS FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES. APPLIUATION FILED JUNI: 22, 190s. RBNEWBD MAY 4, 1912.

1,046,539. Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

' FRANK H. BATES, OF ELYRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE'ASSIGNMENTS, TO POWER ILANT ENGINEERING C0., A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

.GENERATING- OIL-GAS FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

' Application filed .Tune 22, 1908, Serial No. 439,727. Renewed May 4, 1912. Serial No. 695,313.

To allfwwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H BATES, a citizen of the United States, Aresident of Elyria, county of Lorain, and State of 0h10, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Generating Oil-Gas for Explosive- Engines, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention relates to the art of Vapor or gas generation for use in connection with explosive engines.

It concerns conditions ali'ecting the formation of the gas or vapor. In this art the common practice is to generate an oil gas from a liquid hydrocarbon, by means of heat, generally supplied, for the sake of economy, by the exhaust gases from the env gine, said gas, either'alone, or in a mixture with a1r,`being supplied to the engine. While I do not confine myself to. this heating medium, nor to the generatlon of the gas froma particular liquid` hydrocarbon,

(for my invention, in some of' its phases, is independent of these restrlctlons)` I shall herein describe and illustrate my process .1n

connection with the common practice above stated, that is, supplying the heat to the generator by the exhaust gases from the engine, and using any hydrocarbon, particularly kerosenes, heavy distillates and crude .Oils from which to generate the gas or vapor. In the prior practice, the generators of this art are adapted to contain the oil, either as a definite body, the level of Which is maintained constant, or to receive it as a iowing body passing through a tortuous course Within it, in a more orless attenuated stream. In all cases howeveritheoil expelled from the generator is in the form of a Waste residue (having been cooked so as to as nearly.

as possible expel alluseful vapors) and is not again passed through the generator. An example of the lirst practice will be found in Letters Patent of the United States Nos. 748,687, and 763,039, granted to me January 5th, 1904, and June 21st, 1904, respectively,.while the second practice is illustrated by Letters Patent of the United States N o. 746,914, granted to me December 15th, 1903. My invention is equally applicable, in most of its aspects, to both forms of generators, but I describe myy present process 1n connection With a generator employlng a definite constant level oil body.

The object of my present invention, prilnarily, is to bring about such conditions in connection with the generation of gas or vapor 1n a generator, as Will tend toward the production of a gas or vapor in suciently constant quantity and quality to permit of close regulation at the engine.

i It is recognized that there is a diiiiculty A1n maintaining close regulation of explosive engines in connection With the use of a .liquid fuel, as instanced in the case ot' gasolene being sprayed directly into the cylinder, or indirect-ly, as when a liquid fuel is passed into a generator to be there converted into a [gas or vapor. My present invention tends to lessen this diiiculty by providing a ,gas at a more or less constant rate and quality. Thls is accomplished by maintaining a circulation of oil through the generator, rapid enough to prevent noticeable impoverishment. It can be readily understood, that, Withl a generator in Which a body of oil is held at a const-ant level, and in which the loss by vaporization is made up by the additions of the Ainflovving fresh oil, a gradual vim- .poverishment takes place, due to the accumulation of residual matter, which with an o-il of asphaltic base is largely asphalt. With a given temperature therefore, the gas or vapor becomes weaker and is given ott' more slowly in exact proportion to this impoverishment. With a machine of just suicient size to produce gas in quantity to handle a given load at the engine, the rapid impoverishment necessitates frequent and prompt additions and subtractions of heat by hand ,to maintain `the rate of vaporization Wit-h a tluctuating quality of the oil body. Itmight be stated 1n this connection that an explosive engine generally furnishes more than suiiicient heat, in its exhaust or spent gases, to properly vaporize most oils. This frequent changing of temperature conditions, however, cannot be made in a delicate enough manner to prevent changes in the quality` ot the gas which ali'ects the regulation of the explosive engine necessitating thereby frequent changes ofthe valves governing the admission of gas and air,

'which foi` certain classes of service is impractical, Bsince such nicety of the operation l1s impossible.

" pump many hours supply, the impoverishment 'must take place in the entire 'oil system consisting of generator, piping and oil storage tank. The lmpoverishment 1n lthis latte-r case takes place so slowly that it can be entirely overcome by a very gradual addition of heat, this avoidance of sudden changes,

'permitting of the maintenance of a good mixture of gas and air at, the engine and thereby .affording better regulation.. Since in generators offthe type described both pure oil gas or vapor and oil gas or vapor ad-A mixed withl air at the generator, are used, according to conditions, it must be understoodythat hereafter in claiming the features of my invention I vrefer to. and imply ,gas or vapor, whether alone or mixed with.

air as a carrier. l l To the accomplishment of the above and.

related objects, said invention then consists of the steps and embodies the means hereinafter fully described and particularly `pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing andthe following description set forth in detail certain mechanism and modes of operation exemplifying the invention, such i tuting, however. but one of several ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing the single figure there appearing represents in more or less diagrammatic a plant forl producing gas from oil, embodying mv several improvements.

In such drawing A represents an oil storage tank which may be of any convenient size, the location thereof with respect to the rest of the apparatus being' a matter-.of indifference. From such storage tankthe oil is designed to be raised through a 4supply line a to a gas generator C by means 4of a B. yGrenerator C, which as previouslyI indicated is of the receptacle tvpe adapted to contain a definite body of oil,` comprises an outer shell c and an inner shell c', the former affording between its inner sides and the outer sides of the inner shell ay passage for the heating medi-um andthe latter providing the receptacle proper for the oil to be vaporized. Pipes c2c vrespe-,icti'vely serve to conduct the heated waste gases from the engine to the generator and away therefrom,

whilel another pipe c4 is provided for thc I admission to the generator of air when vthis is desired either to dilute the vapors arising from the body of oil therein or to serve as a vehicle or carrier for the same, while a fourth pipe c5 serves to conduct such vapors back to the oill storage tank, be made of size to hold' vided with an air vent disclosed means constifashion the general layout of to the explosive engine. Air inlet pipe c* is suitably controlled by a globe valve yc6 for regulating the amount of air passing there-V through and a check valve c7 that is adapted to prevent any back-flow of vapors from the generator.

The generating chamber or receptacle, in addition to being .connected with reservoir supply line a is provided with a discharge line o leading to reservoir A so that -a constant circulation of oil through the generator may be maintained by means ofpump B. The desired level of oil in such chamber is secured by forming'a loop a2 in the discharge line asv shown,

such loop being proa3 to prevent siphon'ic action. Discharge or return line a is furthermore connected to the gas suction line c?, which leads to the gas intake at the engine, whereby the pressure within such pipe line a and the vaporizing chamber of the generator are equalized. -This 'is desirable for the'reason is liable, under certain working conditions,` to be lower than atmospheric.A A stop valve a3 and check valves a* @5in line a respectively serve to regulate t-he fiow of oil therethrough and to prevent any return of oil from the reservoir.v The equalization of pressure secured in the manner just described will enable the oil to flow freely toward the lower check valve a5 until a suicient amount ofoil has" accumulated to open the same and allow passage. into the tank A. Venting is provided 1n connection with'thelatter so as to maintain atmospheric pressure therein; hence, once.;

that the pressure in line c, and hence in the generator,

loo

started the return flow intovthe oil storage.I 'i

tank will'be continuous. A branch a7 isconnected with the discharge line just' beyond loop a2 and provided with a stopl valve as for the purpose of testing the Iflow in such line if desired. The supply line a is also provided withla branch' aghaving a stopvalve al therein and ,leading directly to storage tank Awhereby not only may the oil supplied through the pipe be in part diverted to the tank without passing through the generator at all, but also the proper back pressure be uniform and proper operation of the stop valve a in the portionfof the supply line between such branch and the generator whereby the amount of oil admitted to 'the generator is regulated.

secured to effect a,

The method of oil-gas generation eXemplified in the operation ofl my' apparatus should .be fairly apparent -from the preceding description 'of they construction of the same.'l Thus, a.v sufficient body of oil being i segregated in tank A, pump B is started yrunning and by adjustment of valves a a a constant circulation of desired volume maintained through the generator-C. vW'hile the rate of flow thus secured may be varied,

' stantially closed, provided the steps or means stated vthe vapor supplied thereto instead of the v,methods heretoforel prevailing.

`may be had to maintain the maximum eiii- I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. The method of producing gas from oil, which consists in segregating a body of the oil, gradually transferring oil from such body to a vapor generator of the receptacle type, and returning to said'body any excess vof oil over that required to maintain a predetermined level of oil in said generator, t-lie rate of transfer from such body to said generator being at least such as to preserve such predetermined level in the latter.

2. The method of producing' gas from oil, Whichconsists in segregating a body of the oil, gradually transferring oil from such it Vshould be at least enough to maint-ain at alltirnesthe level of the oil in such chamber at the predetermined maximum limit prescribed by the loop a2 in the outflow or discharge pipe a. -In this Way the vaporizing action o f the generator Will remain uniform. Such iow furthermore is designed to be suiiiciently rapid to prevent impoverishment of the oil by any other-than imperceptible degrees. As a result the general body of oil maintained in tank A. is only gradually'impoverished and the oil at any time found in the generator chamber Will be of subequal richness to that found in the said tank. In view of the previous 'explanation of the operation of engines with gas derived in the manner in hand, it Willlbe obvious that a very close regulation of the engine can be had in consequence of the above gradual change in the character 'of type, and returning to said body any excess of oil over that required to maintain a predetermined level of oil in said generator, the rate of transfer from such body to said generator being in excess of that required frequent andperiodic changes involved in As the oil v slowly becomes more and more impoverished the temperature of the vaporizing chamber is raised to maintain the gas output, but there will be no rapid fluctuations in the quality of the latter owing'to the infrequency of such changes, and for this same reason proper adjustment of the air supply c4, or at the engine,

latter.

i 3. The method of producing gas from oil, which consists-in segregating a body of the oil, gradually transferring oil from such body toa vapor generator of the receptacle type, and returning to said body any excess of oil over that requiredto maintain a pref determined level of oil insaid generator, the rate of transfer from such body to said generator `being considerably in excess of either through air-inlet ciency of the latter. A

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as re-v gards the process and apparatus herein disdetermined level is preserved and usch body OTGBS. b sign-ed by me this 19th day of June, 190s.

FRANK BATES.

by any of the following claims or the equiva- Attested bylent of such stated steps or means be em- E. R. Roon,

ployed. JN0. F. OBERLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ,five cents each, by Washington, D. G.

addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

to preserve such predetermined level in the that of vapor generation, whereby' such pre-v body to a vapor generator of the receptacle l of oil impoverished by imperceptible de- 

